Kathleen Micham, Shola Richards to receive Chancellor's Excellence in Service Awards

Two outstanding staff members will be honored by UCLA Staff Assembly with the 2013-14 Chancellor's Excellence in Service Award, which recognizes staff members who have greatly contributed to UCLA's ongoing mission. Selected to receive the award are:
 
Kathleen Micham, chief administrative officer for the Department of Earth and Space Sciences
 
 
 
 
 
 
Shola Richards, training manager for Begin Right with Instruction and Thorough Education (BRITE) in the UCLA Health System
 
 
 
 
 
 
Also recognized is professor Megan Franke of the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, who was nominated by staff members for the annual Faculty/Staff Partnership Award, which reflects the values of collaboration and collegiality between faculty and staff. In addition, 19 staff members have been selected to receive Staff Assembly scholarships for career enhancement and professional growth.
 
The award and scholarship recipients will be honored at a reception on June 24, 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Faculty Center’s California Room. Members of the UCLA community are invited. An R.S.V.P. is required, as seating is limited. 

New screenwriting books by Linda Venis, UCLA Extension Writers' Program

Linda Venis, program director of the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and director of Extension’s Department of the Arts, is the editor of two new screenwriting books. “Cut to the Chase: Writing Feature Films with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program” and “Inside the Room: Writing TV with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program” will be published in August by the Gotham/Penguin Group (USA). Chapters were contributed by 24 Writers’ Program instructors who have collectively written hundreds of  movies and TV shows and whose credits include “Liar Liar,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “House” and “The Simpsons.”

The screenwriting books are the first of their kind from a continuing education program, said Venis, who spent four years developing them. “The impulse came from wanting to memorialize what we do as educators," she said. "We want to make education accessible to a wide range of people.”

Venis has three degrees from UCLA: a B.A. and M.A. in education and a Ph.D. in British romantic literature. Prior to joining UCLA Extension, she was a lecturer and co-director of composition in UCLA’s English department.